Love of Family
by Jetainia
Summary: The war is over and a family of five live in peace.


MC4A  
Fill: 1  
Representations: Luna Lovegood; Harry Potter; Neville Longbottom; Teddy Lupin; Triad; Family  
Bonus Challenges: Most Human Bean; Second Verse (Machismo - gardening, comfort; Creature Feature; Unicorn; Three's Company; Non-Traditional; Not a Lamp)  
Beta: Aya Diefair

 _For Bailey_

* * *

Luna hummed softly as she moved the paintbrush across the canvas. The image of a forest filled with things generally considered evil was taking form. It was a painting that took the things the wizarding world feared and made them beautiful as dappled moonlight shone down on the forest from above.

Outside, she could hear the squeals of Teddy as he ran around with Harry and Neville. The three males would be running around the garden with Mortimer—the thestral the small family had adopted. Normally Luna would be with them but she had decided that she needed to work on her painting.

Tomorrow would be May 2nd, the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. That day had embedded itself in both her partner's minds as something dark and horrible with the small amount of light a victory granted. It was the night both of them had had to kill in order to survive.

For years, she had been trying to get through to them that they were not evil or wrong but with minimal success. Teddy had helped when he came to live with them after Andromeda and Ted had passed on. But there was only so much an innocent child could do to convince war veterans that all was well and they had not become like their enemies.

Luna hoped her painting would help finally get the message through to the two of them. There was a figure in the painting standing tall next to the thestral. He was wrapped in a silver cloak with a hood covering his face, there was a ring on his left index finger and a wand made of elder wood held in his right hand. The man was Harry, the Master of Death finally holding the symbols of his position.

The wand and stone were gone now, thrown back through the veil for Death to look after until Harry had need of them. The cloak remained as a tie to James Potter and Teddy loved wrapping it around himself to run invisible throughout the house.

The forest was full of deadly plants. Nightshade, death bell, devil's snare, belladonna and others growing next to plants of the healing variety. There was lavender, peppermint, aloe, geranium and all the healing plants she could think of. She hoped to get it through Neville's thick skull that he was good. That even though he had to kill Nagini, there was nothing about him that she didn't love.

Teddy burst through the door as she stepped back to admire the finished piece. He crashed into her legs and she automatically curled her arm around his shoulders to steady him.

"Are you done, Mummy?" he asked her excitedly.

"That I am, little wolf."

She smiled down at him and he returned it with a toothy grin of his own. Neville and Harry came through the door then, out of breath from racing around with Teddy. They both stopped as they caught sight of the painting.

There were three human figures depicted in the image. The cloaked Harry, Neville wrapped in vines that curled around his legs and arms in an embrace and Luna sitting in the branches of a tree staring up at the moon. There was a small wolf sitting in between Harry and Neville, below Luna, that was Teddy. He was sitting with a grin on his face and although he was in wolf form, his hair was his favourite shade of blue and it was easy to see the boy in the wolf.

"You're amazing, Luna," Neville said, hugging her from behind as he gazed at the painting.

Harry nodded in agreement, picking Teddy up when he insisted and also staring at the picture with amazement in his eyes. "Is this truly how you see us?"

Luna smiled gently and pulled him and Teddy closer until all four were in a group hug looking at the canvas. "Yes. You are both beautiful no matter what anyone else says. And there is never anything wrong with being different, Teddy, remember that."

"Mama's awesome," Teddy said and the solemn air that had descended at Luna's declaration was broken as they all laughed.

Neville placed a kiss on Teddy's cheek. "You bet she is, Teds."

There was a knock on the nearby window as Mort pushed his nose against the glass. Teddy grinned. "Mort! I need to go find him!"

"Do you need help or do you think you can manage on your own?"

Harry was given an unimpressed look by the seven-year-old. "I can manage, Dad. Just because I can't see him doesn't mean I can't smell or hear him." With that said, Teddy jumped out of Harry's arms and raced back outside to try and catch the invisible thestral.

* * *

It was a quiet night when Luna woke up to only one other person sleeping next to her. Neville's face was calm as he slept and there seemed to be no nightmares going through his mind. A soft light shone from under the door and Luna carefully got up to see where Harry had gone. As she left the bedroom, she grabbed her dressing gown and wrapped it around herself.

Barefoot, Luna padded into the living room and found Harry sitting still on the couch staring straight ahead. The Invisibility Cloak was draped over his shoulders inactive, the Resurrection Stone sat in its ring on his finger and the Elder Wand was being rolled around in his hands. Luna sighed, Death had called upon Harry that night.

Without saying a word, she continued on to the kitchen and started preparing cups of tea. It was a rare occurrence that Death demanded the presence of their master but it happened often enough that both Luna and Neville knew what to do when it happened. Mainly, give Harry a warm mug of tea and sit by him until he dragged himself out of the nightmare he had just been a part of.

When the tea was ready, Luna carried it back to the couch and placed both cups on the side table. Then she carefully pulled off the Resurrection Stone ring and put it in her dressing gown pocket. She then replaced the Elder Wand with Harry's cup and stuck the wand behind her ear. The cloak remained where it was, as it always did.

They sat together in silence. Luna occasionally sipped her tea as Harry moved his sightless gaze from the wall in front of him to the brown liquid in his cup. Neville came in a few minutes later having woken up alone and knowing the most likely cause. He kissed the top of Harry's head before proceeding to the kitchen where Luna had left a tea for him—knowing he would appear.

Then Harry was squished in a sandwich of quiet acceptance as Luna and Neville sat on either side of him. Luna leant against Harry once she had finished her drink and let her eyes close. Neville moved his left arm so it was situated over Harry's shoulders to comfort him and started running his hand through her hair.

Eventually Harry moved and sipped at the tea that was still warm thanks to the charm Luna had put on it. He was still non-verbal but they both knew that talking would come with time. It was enough that he had recovered enough to move and drink his tea without feeling sick.

* * *

"Pa! Pa! Pa!" The excited shouting of Teddy rang through the house and Neville hurriedly put down the pot he was holding just in time to catch the bullet that was his son.

"Woah, Teds, calm down. What's gotten you all excited?"

Teddy grinned at him. "Me and Mort found a new plant and it looks really cool and you need to tell me what it is so that I can know all the things about it and maybe Mum can use it in her potions." Teddy finally stopped for a breath before continuing, "Come on!"

Teddy pulled Neville outside where Mortimer was waiting and then the two of them guided the herbologist to their discovery. It was a small sensitive joint-vetch and Neville sucked in a breath when he saw it.

"Well done, Teddy," he said. Mortimer shoved him lightly and Neville quickly added, "And Mort. Well done the both of you."

"What is it, Pa?" Teddy was bouncing on his feet now, eager to know everything about the plant he had found.

"It's a sensitive joint-vetch. It can be used to cure a lot of things and your mother has been searching for one ever since Grandpa lost his."

Teddy's eyes went wide. "Mum's been looking for this? And I found it?"

"Yes, you did. Well done, little sprout." Neville pulled Teddy into a hug before sending him off to get the tools they would need to move the plant into the greenhouse.

When Teddy returned, Neville cast the spell that would split the plant in two without harming the roots or lifespan. Teddy carefully moved the half they would be taking into the temporary pot and filled it in with excess soil around him. Mortimer watched them work silently.

When the sensitive joint-vetch was secure in its pot, the three of them returned from the marsh and set up getting the plant situated in its new home. Neville had no need for summoning charms as Teddy rocketed about the place (carefully, so as not to disturb the plants) and grabbed everything he needed.

With the plant housed in the marsh section of their greenhouse, they went inside the house for a well-deserved treat. Mortimer was given a juicy raw steak, Teddy had chocolate biscuits with apple juice, and Neville stole a few of Teddy's biscuits and gave himself a cup of tea.

When Luna and Harry returned from their grocery shopping, Teddy would eagerly pull them out to the greenhouse to show them what he and Mortimer had found. For now though, he was perfectly content to sit with his father and eat biscuits.


End file.
